


Conversations

by TwistedToxic



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Dick and Tim are more towards the end, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd is Robin, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Sexual Humor, Suicidal Thoughts, at least in Robin Jason's universe, but it's still pretty light though, but like accidental, like both of them, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:33:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedToxic/pseuds/TwistedToxic
Summary: "What's your Bruce like?" Jason asked. It felt like Jay was shot in the chest. If this were a movie, there'd be that record scratch. He kept his breathing even, but his mind panicked. Jason noticed the reaction instantly - thanks, Dick. "He doesn't hurt you, does he?" He asked, a darker tone to his voice than what Jay had heard all night. Roy glanced up from the computer. He had a little girl and his husband was abused as a child, so if this Bruce was abusing his children... Red Hood and Arsenal would be doing some universe hopping."No! Well, during a spar, sometimes he hits kind of like dad did." Jason froze. He hadn't thought about Willis in forever. "I don't tell him though. He's pretty strict on patrol and during training. Dickhead went missing, and I guess he's strict so he doesn't lose me too. He said that I'd never have to worry about someone hurting me like dad or the Johns did." He didn't want to alarm the very intimidating men that could probably outwit Bane into thinking Bruce was doing anything wrong. Was he, though? Robin didn't know the difference between abuse and love, so did it matter?
Relationships: Jason Todd & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 38
Kudos: 169





	Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> This took me two days to write, and on top of that, my internet is really shitty, and I've already had problems posting this three times, so if my internet goes down, I'll probably have ten fics up and ready to go if it's down longer than three days. I'm really glad this one is done, because I got eight more fic ideas while writing this on top of the thirty I have yet to write.
> 
> Warning, please read the tags. This fic deals with death (it's Jason), child abuse (in all forms for Jay's and sexual for Jason's), minor drug addiction references, referenced suicide, a referenced suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, and underage prostitution (and a brief scene where Jay considers adult Jason hot, but he doesn't know it's himself, and he doesn't know how to react to trauma well, but it isn't a legitimate attraction. He doesn't know the difference between abuse and love. Reader discretion is advised (not as advised as fics either later on or if I'm in a bad mood), since these are pretty heavy topics.
> 
> There's some changes to what happened to Jason. I incorporated both comic and movie for UtRH, because Bruce lodges the Batarang in Jason's gun, which exploded and his neck got cut by the shrapnel, and Jason wasn't put in Arkham in this fic. Bruce was going to, but he was talked out of it since I needed some catalyst for both Bruce and Jason to realize they're both kinda fucked up and need help. Jason is also 22 for some reason while everyone else's ages are what I normally do? Also, Jason and Roy being married while Roy and Dick are best friends is my shit, thanks.

Jason woke up, not a clue as to where he was or what he was doing there. He looked up, seeing a... What? Why did that look like Speedy, but older, and why the hell was he in his underwear? This didn't look like Gotham... He looked out the window, before he sighed in relief. The man, however, in his 6'0 muscular glory, made him feel like his heart was racing against one of the Flashes. He still didn't lower his weapon. 'Fuckin' rude ass prick', he thought. The other man stirred, but even before he was fully awake, Jason could hear the sounds of two guns being cocked as they were pointed directly at him and he was on a knee, as if scrutinizing him while training his weapons on him. He was kinda hot though...

No, Bruce told him he'd never have to think like that again. He still bristled at the thought of Bruce. Surely, Bruce meant it, though?

"Who the fuck are you?" The man with the guns demanded. Even if it was phrased like a question, Robin wasn't stupid. He'd heard that tone quite often.

"I'm Robin. Now who the fuck are _you two_?" That was not their Robin. Damian was Robin. He didn't have that arrogant air to his voice. This kid reeked of 'street rat'. Roy looked at his Jason without turning his head. He reminded him of Jason when he was Robin. The man with the stripe in his hair put one of his guns away to run a hand through it.

"I'm Jason, kid, and this is Roy." He vaguely gestured his free hand to Roy. Robin looked to the ring on the older man's finger. Maybe he could get by with just stealing tonight. No, B said stealing was bad. A flicker of recognition came across the boy's face. He stepped closer to 'Jason'.

"The fuck do you know? Small world." He commented, before making a grab at Jason's ring. That didn't work, at all, because the next thing the little Robin knew was that both his wrists were held by the older man's free hand. Robin gasped, kicking and flailing to get himself freed. As the minutes went by, his struggles went from fiery determination to small and desperate.

"Babe." Roy nudged him on the shoulder, and Jason had his other gun on him in less than ten seconds. He saw Roy's stance, saw Roy, and sighed. His other hand dropped the kid, who was near shaking, breaths coming harder and harder. He put the second gun away.

"Kid, take off your mask."

"But B said to-"

"Never compromise your identity. Yes, I know, but I'm one of you." It all made sense. The Robin panties, the way he screamed 'Crime Alley', the way he- the way he panicked in his hold. It was one of the hardest things for him to unlearn. The younger Jason flinched. Another Bat?

"Dickhead, if this is you coming to haunt my ass-" Jason cut him off by his own chuckle. It was one halfway between amused and uncomfortable. What happened to Dick?

"No, no. I'm cooler than Dick."

"Then, who are you?"

* * *

Even when the mask came off, it was no less surprising. Roy looked up from his computer, taking him in. His eyes were a deep blue, very much unlike the striking teal of his Jason's.

"So you're me? From like, the future?" Jason shrugged.

"Kind of?"

"More _accurately_ ," Roy began. "You're from an alternate dimension. One that's seven years behind our current timeline." Jason froze. He obviously knew he hadn't suffered his fate yet. He wouldn't go through that if he had anything to say about it. Jay, as they'd begun to call him for the time being, lit up.

"I've always wanted to see the fucking future!" Jason couldn't help his laugh. Just what he'd say if he was still a kid. "What happens? You gotta tell me what happens!" Jason flinched. He never thought he'd see the day where he'd have to tell a kid, himself when he was younger, no less, that he'd died brutally: sold out by his own mother, beaten to near death with a crowbar, and then suffocated in the smoke after the explosion. The Joker truly hadn't gotten the last laugh, but certainly not for a lack of trying. Even now, his eyes turned even glassier as they took on that sickly Lazarus green tinge. "Aww, come on! I gotta know!" Jason came back with a sharp gasp, looking over at Jay.

No. This was an opportunity to see to it that Jay gets to live a normal life. Nothing filled with a murderous clown reject, fear, and pain. Maybe this Jay would grow up and simply marry Roy, without all of the trauma about his death and resurrection. Hell, maybe he'd marry someone else? "You're not gonna like it, though, kid." He went to remove his shirt, but he knew how he'd have reacted if he saw a man taking his shirt off suddenly. "I'm gonna take my shirt off, okay? I won't try anything." He shuddered at the thought. Sure, he joked about fucking himself if he met one from an alternate universe, but he meant consenting, willing, adult Jasons, and he was purely joking. He wouldn't subject a child to what he had. Jay hesitated, but nodded.

He gasped, eyes widened at the long, precise lines. Shoulder blades, down to his sternum... He felt sick just looking at the scar. He looked sick looking at all of the marred skin. Hell, some of them overlapped, like there couldn't be an _inch_ of healthy skin. "What the _hell_ happened to me? You?" Jason looked at Roy, who had stopped working on his computer to locate the universal rift to put a grounding hand on Jason's shoulder.

"First, you gotta promise me that you won't make the same mistake I did."

"Er… Okay? What mistake was it that ended up with you like... This...?"

"It's better finding out this way, okay, kid?"

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean, Catherine Todd isn't my real mom?!" Jason sighed, kneeling to the kid's height.

"She very well could be in your universe, kid, but in this one, she wasn't. My real mother is Sheila Haywood. If you find your birth certificate, please don't look for her. You're gonna end up in Ethiopia." Jay tilted his head in confusion. "Refugee aid in Magdala, I think." He said, before he looked unsure. "It's pretty fuzzy before what happened. I ended up in a warehouse, and Sheila sold me out. The Joker was there, and I think three other guys, but the only one I could remember was that clown prick laying into me with a crowbar. My own biological mother simply watched me get beaten within an inch of my life. We tried to escape since we couldn't disarm the bomb, but for some reason, I still shielded her from the blast anyways. He didn't kill me though. Neither the crowbar or the explosion did me in." Jason had to stop to take a deep breath, but it still came out shaky. He clenched his fists. "I suffocated on the smoke." He could swear he saw Jay crying. "If it's any consolation, Catherine was more my mom than anybody before she died."

"Your mom... Your Catherine is dead?" That felt like a gut punch. Then anger flared over him. His mom would have rather sold herself than ever let him think of such a thing. Was this Catherine his Sheila?

"Yours is alive?" Jay flinched, and even Jason did at how hard his words came out.

"After she overdosed, she's been catatonic. They think she's getting better, though." Jason nods, before Jay looked at his older counterpart. "So, if you suffocated to death, how are you here now?" Jason looked about to shrink in on himself. This kid wasn't stupid. Hell, he was Jason, but younger. Roy looked at Jason once more.

"Babe, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't-"

"No, Roy. If I can keep this kid from dying, he needs to know this as well." He kissed Roy on the cheek before turning his attention to Jay. "I woke up in my own grave and clawed my way out. I wish I could tell you more, but all I remember is vaguely wandering the streets and the next thing I know, I'm halfway across the world in Nanda Parbat being thrown in a Lazarus Pit. When I came back, all I felt, all I could feel was rage. That I'd died, that Bruce failed to save me-" Jay bristled again. Why the hell does he do that at Bruce's name? He'll ask him a little later. "I'd been replaced. It's funny now, that I hated his guts for replacing me while he looked up to me, and we get along the greatest. I was replaced by Tim, and after going on this _fun_ little charade, which included putting a bomb in B's car and trying to get him to kill the Joker, a few more fun charades, and attacking Tim multiple times, we sat down, stopped being emotionally constipated for five minutes, and worked to repair what we fucked up." Jay looked even more confused. "Alright kid, where'd I lose ya? I'm trying to save your life here."

"Tim, as in Tim Drake?"

"Yeah, why?"

"In my universe, he's dead too. Suicide. I don't believe it though. I'd met him a few times. Hell, I put his parents away for abusing him. We took pictures together while I'm in the Robin suit, and I took pictures with him as Jason Todd at galas. He even told me he thought Bruce was Batman and said it would be cool if I was Robin, and we shared a few laughs about it, and I offered him other theories to get him of the trail. I'm pretty sure he knew anyways that I was Robin, and the last time we talked, he was nervous Batman had figured out somebody knew his identity. I could have sworn I heard him talking to B, and a few days later, the papers said he committed suicide." Jason's anger flared. Did this Bruce kill a fucking child? "I dunno though. It seems weird. He may not even be dead." Jason would find this universe if he had to and rip this Bruce a new one. "What's your Bruce like?" Wow, that was a question he was not expecting.

"Well, we had some disagreements. I tried to get him to kill the Joker, he threw a batarang at my gun, it exploded, so my entire left hand is numb and the shrapnel cut my throat. Then he pissed me off even more when I was already Pit mad when he 'died', because he mentioned how he screwed me up even more by giving me panties and a tunic instead of a therapist. He was pretty shitty, but so was I. Neither of us were really in our right minds. I was resurrected and pissed, he was still grieving the son who died, even as he stood before him. He almost threw me in Arkham after I tried to kill Damian and Tim, but Dick, and for some reason, Tim, told him that he'd have to reserve four other cells if he did. Dick said that we were all screwed up, we all have our demons, so if one of us goes, we all gotta. Then, Tim started setting up appointments with a therapist for me. I didn't go until I saw how screwed up Roy was." Jay looked to Roy.

"I was a drug addict. He was my go to man for whatever, sober or high, after Kori and I broke up. He saw me after a heroin overdose." Jason nodded.

"That's when I knew I needed to swallow my pride, and so, I went to see Christina Winters for the first time. I still go to her. If you ever go through what I do, before you go on this fucked up charade, see her. She knows what we do, so that's not a problem. After a few appointments with her, Bruce started seeing her. Dick hated us skirting around the issue. That man is a fucking meta and fuck what Bruce says. It's like he knows your feelings before even you do. I was pissed at him for a bit, since it wasn't his business, still isn't, but if he hadn't, we wouldn't be on speaking terms. We sat down and legitimately talked. It got heated for a few moments and there were several almost fights, but we listened to the other. She'd told him it was okay to miss the boy that he lost, but it wasn't okay to act like I was still dead or that I was still the boy he lost. My madness, after it wore off, left me with many realizations. I was trying to make Bruce choose between being a father, and the Bat, his two most important roles. I was angry and projecting my insecurities onto Tim. He may have been the replacement Robin, but he couldn't be a replacement for a son. You can't replace kids, and if you can, then you're a shit parent. Bruce admitted he was a shit father when I was Robin. He said he was a shit father when I made my comeback. He admitted he knew I was hurting, but he was still grieving. We finally decided to try the family thing again." Jason finished. "Then, Roy and I got together, to be an actual couple, not as fuck buddies. Bruce was so proud when I brought him home. I'd moved on enough to accept that despite my days as a prostitute, I could still be bi, rather than because of it. Hell, when he and I got married, Bruce cried at our wedding. Like, actual tears running down his face." Jay laughed a little. His Bruce, it seemed, couldn't cry. All he knew was anger. He thought he could just punch his problems away. "It took Tim and I a while to make up. Of course, attacking him multiple times, despite the fact he looked up to me, doesn't be forgiven in a day. I traumatized the poor kid even more." His expression softened. He remembered the day Tim said he forgave him. He knew Tim was just saying it to keep Jason alive, but it worked. He remembered the kid in tears, telling Jason to put the gun down and that he didn't hate him. He couldn't pull the trigger with a kid in the room, so Tim stayed all night and the next morning. He didn't tell Dick, Jason told him not to, but with how Dick went into that 'how are you feeling' talk, Dick probably knew. Bless Dick and his stupidly kind heart. Pathetic, wasn't it? Despite the intimidating mask, he was just a scared little kid with a bad upbringing.

"It's good you and him made up or whatever." Jay said, the features in his face soft. He missed the dorky little kid, whether it be following Batman and Robin, or working on a chemistry equation with Jason at the manor. He wished his Tim was still alive, or that he could see him again if he was. "Will I marry Roy in my universe? I'm as straight as an arrow." Jason couldn't help his snort.

"I mean, if your universe is like ours, you marry an Arrow." He said through a few laughs. Roy rolled his eyes and smacked his shoulder. Jay looked a bit confused for a second, and then it hit him.

"Wait... You're Speedy?" Jay looked incredulous. Roy grew up well, holy shit! Roy nodded with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Well, I used to be. I go by Arsenal these days. I'd introduce you to my daughter, but Oliver wanted to see her." Jay nodded, taking this in. Holy shit. Speedy's an ex drug addict, and he ends up marrying him? His best friend? Well, he said 'if your universe is like ours' and there were already two glaring differences: Dick was 'missing' - which Jay knew meant dead, and Tim was 'dead' - but Jay was pretty sure it meant he was sent to some psychiatric hospital for stalking them. He at least wasn't in Arkham, thank god, but he'd be sure to check again. He didn't even know who Damian was. He also noted to look for the scars that Arsenal had on his arms.

* * *

"What's your Bruce like?" Jason asked. It felt like Jay was shot in the chest. If this were a movie, there'd be that record scratch. He kept his breathing even, but his mind panicked. Jason noticed the reaction instantly - thanks, Dick. "He doesn't hurt you, does he?" He asked, a darker tone to his voice than what Jay had heard all night. Roy glanced up from the computer. He had a little girl and his husband was abused as a child, so if this Bruce was abusing his children... Red Hood and Arsenal would be doing some universe hopping.

"No! Well, during a spar, sometimes he hits kind of like dad did." Jason froze. He hadn't thought about Willis in forever. "I don't tell him though. He's pretty strict on patrol and during training. Dickhead went missing, and I guess he's strict so he doesn't lose me too. He said that I'd never have to worry about someone hurting me like dad or the Johns did." He didn't want to alarm the very intimidating men that could probably outwit Bane into thinking Bruce was doing anything wrong. Was he, though? Robin didn't know the difference between abuse and love, so did it matter? Willis always told him he loved him, but he still hit him and his mama. You could still love someone and hit them, right?

Roy made a mental note to save the universe in the computer _'just in case'_. This didn't sit right with him, and looking at Jason, it didn't sit right with him either. Pressing the subject without proof, unfortunately, wouldn't help matters. "How'd Dick go missing?" Jason's voice was strangled, too soft for his own ears. It was like he couldn't bear the thought of losing him, because, being honest, he couldn't. He thought he couldn't stand Damian, until he died, that was. He still wouldn't admit it, but god, that destroyed him. Damian was just a kid - even if he was a brat. Hell, he was younger than Jason, when his own clone killed him. Jay tensed.

"I mean, B says he's missing, but I think he got killed. His suit is hung up in the cave." Jason nodded solemnly. He remembered - he still remembers that awful memorial. A mockery of Jason Todd. Maybe he and Bruce can talk about taking it down one of these days? He'd probably understand now why Jason wants to take a crowbar to it every time he sees it. "He and I got along great. Said he wasn't happy B just gave away his name, but he said that he didn't hate me. Said he'd always wanted a little brother." Jason smiled at that thought, but it felt sour on his heart. His Dick told him he didn't _deserve_ Robin. Told him some street rat couldn't be Robin, or his brother. He knows Dick regrets every last word of it, but the memory, while distant and faded, was bitter and made him feel a coldness in his undead bones. "He said he'd be back though. The night he 'went missing'. I don't know what that means." A ping on Roy's laptop had them both looking at him.

* * *

"Okay, so Jason, Jay, is from an alternate Earth. I'll call it Earth-2640, since that's how many dimensions I went through that were set in the past, before I narrowed it down further to ones where one Jason Todd is Robin, and still alive." Jason flinched at that. Still alive. It made him wonder, was he living again, or a walking dead? Most evidence pointed towards the latter, and that's the thought that hurt.

"So, I can go home?" Jay asked.

"Er, no, not yet. We'd have to recreate the rift. We could do it magically and call Zatanna, but I believe she's off world, and I have the chance of creating a device that can let us travel across universes, no fancy ships or metas needed. It's the science I have wet dreams about." Both Jasons looked disgusted, older Jason covering Jay's ears.

"Roy, I _know_ for a fact what your wet dreams include, and second of all, innocent ears."

"Old me, first of all, I'm not innocent. Haven't been for years. Second of all, I heard that. Thirdly, I'm fifteen. I know about wet dreams and shit." Jason lowered his hands, breathing in a deep sigh.

"I know kid, but..."

"Let me guess, you were really adverse to the mention of anything sexual?"

"Yeah, that and quite a bit of internalized homophobia, biphobia. I thought those kinds of dreams, somehow, made me gay. I fucking own that gayness now though." Roy snorted, before he made a phone call to Dick about the rift they were going to make. Jason could hear Dick's enthusiastic rambling. Probably wouldn't be that excited if he saw Jason in the Robin costume again. He wouldn't be angry, most likely, but it'd dig up the painful things he'd said to Jason.

Jay looked stoked as hell to see Dick again, and he looked even more stoked to see that familiar shaggy hair of Tim, who was holding a coffee like it was his lifeline. Dick took the coffee when he very clearly heard the Robin ' _squee'_ and run after him. Tim looked confused as all hell.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I'm seeing you again, Timmy!" He could see Tim mouth a confused _'Timmy?'_ Damian? No, he had a hood and would pour a gallon of pepper juice into his coffee if he could get ahold of that much pepper juice.

"Oh no." Tim said, looking at Jason. "Did Bruce adopt _another_ kid? _Please_ tell me he didn't adopt another kid. I knew it, I knew it, that man sees an orphan and his immediate thought process is 'adopt'. Oh, Damian is gonna _hate_ this." Tim perked up, pulling out his phone. "On second thought, Damian is gonna hate this. Oh man, I can't wait to tell him. Does Babs know? Why is he wearing the Robin panties, though? Does he want his femoral arteries severed?" Jason looked at Tim, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to muffle his laughter. He _seriously_ thinks Bruce adopted another kid? Yeah, now that he's thinking about it, Tim has a point. He would adopt another child in a fraction of a heartbeat.

"Oh, yeah..." Robin looked dejected, and it was both the most heart wrenching thing, while simultaneously made him want to punch Tim, even if he didn't know better. Dick looked at Jay, and his heart twisted. He was so mean to Jason when he was Robin, and they'd only started to get along before... He wished he went to Jason's funeral. He would have taken the whole spaceship if he could to have been there. A small fragment of him still hated Bruce for not telling him until after he came home. He still remembered Roy and Kori holding him as he broke down in tears. How he was horrible to him and just beginning to make it up to Jason, and now he'd never have that chance again. "It's me, Jason!" The Robin said, a slightly goofy - and admittedly _adorable_ smile on his face.

"But..." Tim looked like he'd discovered the secrets to the universe. He swiped his coffee from Dick before he could react - Dick may have been an acrobat, but Tim was the caffeine addict, and chugged it down despite the scalding in his throat. "Okay, so I heard that right, and am clearly not hallucinating from sleep deprivation - Jason, don't you dare punch me-" Tim glared at Jason, who was definitely _not_ about to punch him. "So you're from an alternate universe? Where you survived?" Both Jasons cringed.

"It hasn't happened yet." Jason said, and Tim looked down. Whoops, just told a kid he's gonna die, time to jump off Wayne Enterprises! Tim shut that down, because now wasn't the time for joking about dying. Tim looked more uncomfortable. Here was a bright eyed Jason who looked at him like how Titus looked at Damian. The Robin he once looked up to, then there was the weary, broken Jason, who knew was still definitely a bit suicidal, that tried to kill him. Tim looked torn and hurt for a second. He and Jason were okay now. They were okay and Jason wasn't mad anymore. He didn't want to kill him anymore. He needed an out, needed a subject change-

"Alright, Roy, let's get to work on this, shall we, and we're not calling it 'Rift Thingy'."

"It's three in the morning, Dick, give me a break."

"That's why I'm here, Roy. Beauty, brains, and-"

"Something strange." Jason snorted.

"I know that was supposed to be an insult, Jason, but that was really clever and it sounds vaguely ominous, I like it." Jason rolled his eyes. Leave it to one Dickhead Grayson. "I was going to say the creative namer, but I want to sound like it's threatening." Jason snorted.

"That makes it automatically not threatening. You can't actively try to be threatening. You just are or you aren't." Tim and Jay looked at Jason.

"That makes literally zero sense, Jason, and you're not threatening. You're just sad, edgy, and gay."

"That's slander, and it's a crime, Timbers. I should lock you up right now." Tim choked for a solid minute.

"It isn't slander if it's true, Jason. Also, please don't." Tim was red as a tomato, and Jason looked at Tim in disgusted realization.

"Yeah, nevermind. Ew." Jason gagged. He did not want to imagine that. _Ever_. Tim was still red when he turned to Jay. Jay whispered something Jason couldn't quite hear, while Tim turned even redder.

"Yeah. I don't know either if it's a psychological thing or- okay, topic change time!" Tim announced with a clap. "What am I like in your universe, Jason?"

"Annoying." Jason snickered.

"Not you, you walking disaster." Jay seemed to tense up. Shit, Jason probably should have mentioned that his Tim had gone missing. Tim noticed both of their somber expressions. "I died, didn't I?"

"Yes. Or, well, that's what B told me." Jay looked down. Tim grimaced. He remembered the last time everyone was told Bruce was dead, he wasn't. He was told Steph had died. She didn't. The last time they were told Dick was dead, he wasn't. Tim grimaced further. He was, but... No, Tim did not need a brain aneurysm at this time. "I'm still looking. I won't believe it unless I see your, his body." Tim nodded and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Can you look for someone else, too? Can you find Damian Wayne for me? He's probably Damian al Ghul, but he might not be in a very nice place right now." Jay nodded. Even if he wasn't his Tim, the kid looked like he could use a few more happy memories. "Hey, what do you say we play a game of 'Blow Up Boomer Jason's Shit'? It'll be fun."

"First of all, no, you are not taking my shit, and I'm only 22. You can't 'Ok Boomer' me." Tim grinned while Jay flipped him off with a smirk.

" _Ok boomer_." They said in - a somewhat creepy - unison before running off. Jason sighed.

"Dick, you're now the smartest in the family." Dick handed a wrench to Roy while he fixed the equation, muttering something to himself about a stable rift so someone wouldn't accidentally end up in their world while they traveled to someone else's.

"None of us are stupid, Little Wing. I remember overhearing you one time begging Bruce to miss patrol so you could _study_ and how you could write your own play if you wanted to. Tim's 17 and a CEO and can rival Bruce in being the greatest detective. Damian understands animal behavior and the emotions in art well enough to rival your knowledge in it. Babs could hack the White House, if given enough time and could leave without a digital trace. Duke and Steph understand people better than any of us, Duke's being knowing the public while Steph's is knowing exactly how to get people to wear them down to help us, without violence. Cass reads people like they're an open book, and they don't even need to open their mouths. Harper and Cullen could probably take this device apart and put it back together ten times over in the time it would take us to even build the prototype." 

"What about _you_ , Dick?" Jason shot him a pointed look. "I won't take a rousing speech from the golden boy himself when he won't explain why he's intelligent. Dick, you're a performer. You can tell people anything then flash a charming smile, and they can believe it. You can become anyone, and only a few people could see through it." He sighed. "You can rival Roy in a game of throwing out ideas and theories, and making them _work_ when _thousands_ of other people can't." He hoped Dick wasn't slipping into where he was so busy playing pretend that he began to pretend to himself and believe his own mask.

"I know I'm not stupid, Jay. I don't want to put myself first. I know most of you think I'm the 'perfect' golden boy, and I don't want to downplay anybody else's strengths." Jason could honestly punch him.

"You realize that by doing that, you are downplaying somebody's strengths? You're downplaying your _own_ , and I know you were like the family's therapist before half of us started seeing an actual therapist, which wasn't right. You need to see, and speak up, when it's too much, Dickhead. Bruce wouldn't like it if he found out you were wearing yourself thin because you didn't want to feel bad." To hopefully lighten the mood a bit, he punched Dick on the shoulder, who laughed a little.

"He's right, you know?" Dick gawked at Roy when he had a spare moment away from stabilizing the universal GPS.

"Are you agreeing because he's right or because he's your husband?" Roy laughed a little bit.

"A little bit of both, now both of you shut up and fight later, I need to focus on this." Jason made a note to talk to Tim about setting Dick up with a therapist.

* * *

It was ready after several days, but the problem was that Jay didn't want to go back. Jason and Roy acted more like fathers than his Bruce. He thought Tim was pretty cool in spite of the fact the kid looked like an insomniac vampire, and his Dick was like his... This universe had who he'd lost. He didn't want to lose them again. Once was enough.

"Do I have to?" Jay asked while he fixed his mask. Tim offered him a consoling, tired smile.

"You want to find out the truth about me and find Damian?"

"When you find Tim, kick his ass for being a sleep deprived nerd addict in another universe." Jay laughed. Tim would have gotten a laugh out of that. Speaking of finding, Jay thought of a name to look up: _Cassandra Cain_. He'd never even heard it, but the name burned into him. Older Jason's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "We're also gonna check up on you. I don't know how weird your B would get if he found out you went to another universe." He said. It was a shitty excuse to make sure B wasn't abusing him, but Jay looked even more excited instead.

"Cool!" He exclaimed, and before Jason knew it, his younger counterpart had pulled him into a hug. He never knew how to react to this. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around the kid, almost afraid he'd crush him. Jay took turns hugging everyone, since Tim awkwardly stood there and patted his back, probably much to formal for his Tim. Dick was the most enthusiastic, who pulled him in first and held him in his arms for a good five minutes. Jason remembered Dick doing that once. Roy kissed his forehead and held him as if he was holding Lian. He whispered something to Jay, who giggled in turn.

"Be safe, okay?" Jason asked. At his age, he'd joke about _'no, I'd die a few times'_ , but after his death, reflecting on it, it was admittedly less funny, and wouldn't be funny if it was said currently. Thankfully, this Jay was slightly less of a smartass.

"I will, but now I have to stalk the stalker." Tim looked at Jay, hand on his chest in mock offense.

"I thought what we had was special." Jay snorted, before making a peace sign and disappearing into the rift.

_Jason Todd died anyways. Not killed by the Joker, but by the Batman._

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever stop writing sudden downer endings? No, probably not, but was it really all that sudden? I mean, there's a metric fuckton of foreshadowing (Jay getting tense at Bruce's name, him literally not knowing the difference between abuse and love, among more). Also, I shall clarify that yeah, Dick is dead - heavily implied to have been killed by Bruce, and Tim is in Arkham. I love Daddybats and his chaos children, but I'm a slut for angst, so I get both by using an alternate Earth. Also uhh, He thinks of Cassandra for a reason. I'll either spoil it in the comments or if I get enough support (that sounds like I just want comments, but honestly, seeing the comments and kudos is what keeps me going because being new to writing fanfic in a massive fandom like this is daunting, and even the little things like 'I loved this' or how you liked the dynamics, it legitimately warms my heart and inspires me to keep going), it'll be in a continuation.
> 
> If you want more of Earth-2640, just let me know!
> 
> I hoped you guys liked this fic, and please let me know if you need any tags added!


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